Working with cable TV giant HBO and best-selling fantasy writer George R.R. Martin, a local startup video game company is growing a huge online audience with its first foray into the gaming business.

With more popularity comes a new home for Disruptor Beam and its hit game, "Game of Thrones Ascent." The company recently moved into a new office on Worcester Road in Framingham.

"Game of Thrones Ascent" is based off Martin’s book series "A Song of Fire and Ice." Jon Radoff, founder and CEO of Disruptor Beam, was a fan of the series and contacted Martin about making an online game based on the series. According to Hank Howie, chief operating officer of Disruptor Beam, the HBO series was coming out about the same time. Disruptor Beam has partnered with HBO so that it can produce new game content whenever a new episode comes out.

"HBO made the new season available to us about two months in advance," said Howie. "We go down to New York City to watch the entire season. We take good notes and develop ideas based on each episode."

Every Monday Disruptor Beam releases content into the game based on the episode that aired the night before, said Howie. This could be a new character or simply a new weapon that a player could buy. "We think it is one of the most compelling examples of trans-media gaming out there," Howie said.

"Game of Thrones Ascent" can be played through Facebook and Disruptor Beam’s main focus is on creating social networking games.

"We were essentially founded with the idea that games are social," Howie said. "When we started in 2010 people were making simple games using Facebook to try to get people playing together. Here, players will be more connected and social."

The reason that the company made the move from Boston to Framingham five weeks ago was because it needed a bigger office, said Howie.

He also added that a number of senior company members live in the Framingham area and the move made it an easier commute. In total, the company employs 17.

There are some advantages to being in MetroWest and, according to Howie, affordability is the biggest one.

"To rent the size office that we have now would cost way more in Boston," Howie said. "It's still readily accessible to food and shopping. It’s nice to have those in a reasonable distance."

"Game of Thrones Ascent" is a MMORPG game (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). MMORPGs are a form of RPGs (role-playing games) where you build a character and take on his or her persona. You adventure and explore a fictional world where you encounter challenges and overcome them as the character you have created.

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It takes a lot of work to create a virtual world and to not run out of content. Fortunately, Disruptor Beam has the ability to use any content from Martin’s book series as well as the TV series, said Howie.

"The show can’t cover all of the ground that the books cover," he said. "We are free to draw from those experiences that don’t get touched by the show."

Disruptor Beam has recently received an investment from Google Ventures. The investment came about because one of the company’s early investors is well known at Google, Howie said.

"Jon met with Google Ventures and they liked what the game was at that time and were willing to invest," Howie said. He did not reveal the amount that Google Ventures invested, but said it was "a very welcome investment."

Disruptor Beam's MetroWest location is advantageous for other reasons. "This is a great community to build a game company in," said Howie. "There are lots of technology and universities in the area for new people coming into the industry."

According to the Princeton Review's top 15 undergraduate schools to study video game design for 2013, four are in New England. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is number five on its list, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is number 12, Becker College is number 13 and New England Institute of Technology is number 14.

Robert MacDougall, professor in the video game concentration at Curry College in Milton, said the industry is so popular because "it allows people the possibility to engage not only in something that is fun but also profitable and it is something that they love to do."

Graduates pursue careers in game design, marketing and business. Just don't forget the storytellers.

"Storytelling is very important," MacDougall said. "Content is king. You always need good content."

Disruptor Beam might need some of those students in the future. Of the 17 people it employs, most are designers. As of right now the only game that Disruptor Beam has is "Game of Thrones Ascent," but, according to Howie, there will be more to come.

"Disruptor Beam’s intention is to create more games built around stories that millions of users love," Howie said. "We want to take those stories and make them into new games."